Chapter 7b

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MOBILE RADIO
SHOPS
CHAPTER #7

Left- Don Parr in Radio Atco Trailer, in old Barn on Birch Ave, Terrace
The old VTR 10-12 on the shelves
Right- Bill Rush installing a VTR 10-12
with the Mechanic, Art Kerr, watching closely!
(notice old windows of Army Hangar in background)
These pictures were taken in the building
that burnt to the ground, May 8, 1975
These photos were taken not many days before that fire.
Bill Rush passed away in May 2012

       We had to work in some nice places, and some terrible places, doing radio installs. I enjoyed doing installs in our own garages, but hated going to the customers place, since it meant hauling all the tools etc. When we did, I didn’t mind going to the Old Kenworth shop in Thornhill, off of Queensway Dr. It was at least clean, and the Kenworth trucks weren’t too bad to work on.
        Next came the Hayes truck shop on River Dr. The shop was great, but those old Hayes trucks were made out of steel armor plate. You would go thru 2 or 3 drill bits to drill 1 hole! They were built to last!
        I worked in Skoglund’s old shop, site of Canadian Tire now, and it wasn’t bad.        Worst, bar none, was the old shop, down on Keith, with the 400 year old Mac trucks. Beavers Logging! The shop was bad, and the trucks worse!
       We also had to install radios and radio whistle receivers in yarders, and off highway logging rigs at all sorts of choice places. I think some of the guys would find the biggest mud hole to park in for us to work on the truck. We had steady customers, Skeena Salvage wouldn’t pay his bill in the fall, we would take the radio out, in the Spring he would pay his bill and we would put it back in, this went on for years. We got smart after a few years and left everything in place, except the set, so it took 1 minute to install the radio in the Spring!
       We worked on radios for Crown Zellerbach and can say I hated everyone of them!    Working in the sticks, you of course had to pack the portable generator to run the drill. Plus extension cords etc. You would have a truck full of junk, for a simple job!
       I remember working on some pretty fancy salesmen cars, and drilling holes in the dash, floor, roof etc. You shuddered when you were drilling a hole in the rug, and suddenly a thread would run for a foot away from the hole! Opps, more careful next time!
       I heard rumours before me, that one guy drilled through the floor of a thunderbird, then trough the transmission housing, thinking he had hit a brace only. I believe this cost the company a few dollars in repair bills! I wonder if Ken Rowe remembers anything about who did this?
         We had logging Contractors like: John Jackson, Delbert R. Holtom, Haugland Logging, McGillis and Gibbs, Bell Pole, Bill Marsh Contracting, Skoglund Logging, Crown Zellerback, Columbia Cellulose, Beavers Logging, Skeena Saw Mill, Middleton Trucking, LH&K Logging, Elsworth Bros. (Kitwanga), Mac and Blo (Charlottes), Jasak Logging, Bonley Logging(Stewart), and many others, using our mobile radios.
       Other businesses like: Kalum Cabs, Terrace Taxi, Skeena Salvage, Hardin Drilling, Native Band Offices in the area, and others had our radios.

Ken Rowe
We were in competition with GE Radio, in town at the time, in late 60’s, and early 70’s. Ken Rowe worked for them before hiring on with BC Tel. He later quit and went working for Department of Highways, Radio Department, in Smithers, until his retirement.